Broken Bones

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Broken Bones
By: Moderator / Adept
Post # 1
I was recently discussing witchcraft healing with a friend,and he asked how the old witches treated broken bones.
Well,now, that's a very long history!
At least 20,000 years ago,the old "wise women" would know that for a bone to "set" it would have to be "immobilized". But how?
The old witch would get a few straight twigs, and bind them to the broken limb to hold it still until it healed.
That method worked,but it was not very good. The arm or leg would heal,but nearly always the limb would be bent or twisted.
Many years of experience taught the witch-healers that the bones must be "held in place" to set properly. An old witch would not be able to do that herself. So she would get a couple of young men from the village to "pull" the limb until it was in its usual position. Then she would bind the twigs in place.
It worked,sometimes! Often the twigs would work loose.
The ancient Egyptians found a better way.
The Doctor Witches, or Witch Doctors, in those far off days healed "by magic". In those days, all healing was magic! But it was the Embalmers of Egypt that did the most "bone setting". This was because they used linen bandages for embalming; ideal for binding broken bones. But they had to use a lot of bandage to keep the broken limb from moving.
Many methods would be tried to use less bandage. Smear the bandages with clay, and put the patient in the sun for the clay to bake!
Then one man, his name now lost in antiquity, had an idea. He smeared the bandages with a mixture of flour and the whites of eggs.It worked! The bandages set hard.
It took many more years before the healers got the idea of using lime, and then adding "burnt" gypsum to make Plaster Of Paris, and The Medical Profession took over from "the bone-setter witches".
Ah,yes, the modern Doctors should be thankful to the old witches. But they seldom are!
They will solemnly take "the Hippocratic oath", never realizing that "the father of modern medicine" was himself a healing witch!
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Re: Broken Bones
By: / Beginner
Post # 2
Keep the information coming brysing ,love all of the knowledge!
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